


best friend

by onceagainoncemore



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Remus Lupin, Crushes, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Pre-Relationship, Rated T for language, jily is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21870151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceagainoncemore/pseuds/onceagainoncemore
Summary: “I’m disowning you, Prongs, just for the record. Lily is my best friend now. Get out of my room.”
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 226





	best friend

**Author's Note:**

> heya! this might've been written in about an hour while i was hopped up on chocolate and the beetlejuice musical, but i hope it's okay!

Remus likes Lily, unsurprisingly. It’s nice to have a study buddy that doesn’t bugger you for notes and whole essays and  _ Moony I didn’t hear the questions please give me the sheet I’ll owe you my life. _

  


Every Marauder owes him their life at least twenty times over.

  


“I trust you,” Remus says, one day, when they’re studying near a giant window, which Lily had chosen because she requires good lighting for her anatomy sketches. “Did you know that? I really do trust you.”

  


“Great,” Lily replies. “You’re certainly the most trustworthy out of your friends, Remus.”

  


“Not hard.” Remus says. Lily hums her agreement. “Would you still trust me if I was a werewolf?”

  


“It’d explain your nickname,” Lily says, chewing on her quill, and then pauses to look up at Remus. “Fuck, Remus, really?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“Fuck.” Lily says. “That fucking sucks. Christ. Is that where the scars are from?”

  


“Yeah.”

  


“I might’ve thought they were from a misfired prank, or, uh, prank _ s _ .” Lily says. She has that exact expression his friends had given him when he’d came out (as bi, not as a werewolf) of  _ that explains a lot, actually, how didn’t I see this before? _

  


“There’s a couple that are,” Remus admits. 

  


“Do you have last weeks notes from herbology? Your handwriting is better than mine.” Remus feels himself tear up. “Oh god, Remus, come here- we’re still friends, you prat. Of course we’re friends.”

  


She hugs him, and Remus can’t stop smiling.

  
  


-

  


  


“Worst taste in men ever.” Lily says, as she sits next to him. Remus snorts. James looks over from his exploding snap game with Sirius, his Lily-instincts fully activated, and Remus shoos him away with his hand. “I will go down in history as the girl with the shittiest taste  _ ever. _ ”

  


“You fancy him.” Remus says, as if it hadn’t been obvious from the start of the year when the first thing out of Lily’s mouth was  _ has Potter gone missing?  _ when James was three minutes late to breakfast. “I thought you’d never admit it. It’s taken long enough, hasn’t it?”

  


“At least we can moan about it together, Moons.” Lily says. Remus isn’t sure how he feels about his nickname coming from her. “It’s not like your taste in men is much better, is it?”

  


Remus opens his mouth to defend Sirius -  _ he’s hot, okay? Who isn’t attracted to leather jackets and long hair? He’s a weak teenage boy, Lily, shut up -  _ when he hears Peter drop his books.

  


“Moony has a crush?” Peter says, bewildered. Both James and Sirius look up, identical betrayed expressions on their faces. “Since when?”

  


Remus swears.

  


“Sorry, Re.” Lily says. She doesn’t sound sorry.

  


“I’m quitting Hogwarts,” Remus says, and places his head in his hands, falling back into a childish habit of if he can’t see his incorrigible best friends, they can’t ask him questions. He hears all three of his friends walk towards him, and Lily pats his head. “Not like I can get a job anyway. Fuck this.”

  


“Who is it?” Sirius sounds quite angry, honestly. Remus doesn’t like how much he likes it. “If she doesn’t approve of your- your little furry problem, I’ll get her for you. We all will.”

  


“Not a girl, Pads,” Remus admits, and raises his head to stare down his best friend. “And, ah, I don’t think beating him will work out.”

  


Lily snorts.

  


“You know who it is?” Jame spins on his feet quite dramatically to look at Lily. “You’re the light of my life, Evans, but Moony is- is, uh,-”

  


“The moon,” Peter supplies.

  


“My moon! Our, uh, our moon. We have to protect his virtue!” James proclaims. Lily takes a deep, shuddering breath, and then bursts into laughter.

  


“Will they be protecting that when they find out?” She says, a little delirious. 

  


“Probably not.” Remus says. They’re still staring at him. It’s a little creepy.

  


“You told Lily instead of us?” Sirius asks, pouting. Remus jabs his cheek, forcing him to stop. 

  


“Lily figured it out by herself,” Remus says, a little darkly. “It’s not like it isn’t obvious.”

  


Lily cackles harder.

  
  


  


-

  


  


“Truth or dare, Remus.” Lily says. She’s currently wearing a (stolen) Ravenclaw scarf around her head, as well as Peter’s clothes, from previous dares. Remus thinks James has never been more in love.

  


“Truth.” Remus says, because he’s trying to finish an essay, and truths are easier to get over with.

  


“Describe your crush for me.” She says, evilly delighted. Remus sighs. His friends cheer, the bloody traitors.

  


“Irritating,” Remus says, and crosses out a misspelled word. “Far too good looking, and he knows it. Ego size of bloody Britain. Likes to pretend he isn’t smart. Caring. Fuck, Lily, you already know this.”

  


“The boys don’t,” Lily reminds him. “One more?”

  


“Fluffy,” Remus says.

  


“Hair wise?” Sirius says. He’s tipsy, proven by the fact he’s currently finger-brushing his hair, something Padfoot would never do sober. It’s kind of cute, but Remus still wants to throw a hairbrush at him.

  


“Sure,” Remus says, and turns his attention back on his essay. 

  


“Who the fuck do we know that’s good looking?” James says, a little too loud.

  


“We can rule out Prongs, then?” Sirius says, and Jame tackles him. Remus sighs.

  


“Uh, Moony?” Peter says. Remus looks down from his makeshift study table (the couch), and watches Peter fold origami for a couple seconds. “Are you going to ask anyone? Or should we put them to bed?”

  


“It’s seven!” Sirius calls from the scuffle. “I’m not sleeping at  _ seven.” _

  


“I am,” Remus says. “Baton’s passed to you, Wormy. See you at breakfast, Lily.”

  


He begins to climb the stairs, abandoning his books and papers. The sounds of the fight die out, and Sirius joins him a couple seconds later.

  


“Early to bed makes a man wise?” Sirius says as his excuse, and skips ahead of Remus.

  
  


  


-

  


  


“I’ve planned on never telling him, actually,” Lily says, when he asks how the relationship is progressing.

  


Remus opens his mouth.

  


“Not like you haven’t taken the same approach,” she adds, and stabs the sharp end of her quill into his hand. “Are we on for Wednesday?”

  


“Full,” He says. “Sorry.”

  


“Fuck.” Lily replies. 

  


“Why are you two hiding back here?” Sirius says, and Remus counts to three before he turns, because he’s cool, and definitely not because he has to steel himself to look at Sirius everytime the boy wears civvies. 

  


“Studying, Black.” Lily says. And then, because it’s their routine, sneers a little. “Ever heard of it?”

  


Sirius waves his hand, and flops into the seat opposite Remus.

  


“Through second-hand accounts,” Sirius says. “What are we so diligently working on today, lady and gentlewolf?”

  
“History,” Remus says, and bats Sirius’ hand away from his hair. “Which you should also be studying for, Pads, because the test is tomorrow and you told me this morning you had one page of notes.”

  


“One page is good! Isn’t it, Evans?” Sirius says, and Lily lets out a low whistle. “What? How many do you two have?”

  


“Seven,” Lily says.

  


“Twelve,” Remus says.

  


“I never liked the idea of graduating anyway,” Sirius says. “Now, Moony, do you remember our last game of truth or dare?”

  


“Unfortunately. I didn’t get sloshed, unlike the rest of you.”

  


“Well- Well I just wanted to ask if we knew the guy you’re crushing on.” Sirius sounds almost nervous, and Lily eyes him suspiciously, in sync with Remus’ own confused glaring. “You’re helping James with his problem. Maybe we could help you with yours?”

  


“It is a problem, alright,” Lily hisses under her breath. Remus whacks her arm.

  


“You know him,” Remus admits. “But no help,  _ please _ . There’s no chance he’ll even like me back, Padfoot, no use trying.”

  


Remus knows that if he tells Sirius his feelings, the stupid self-sacificing prick will try to force himself into the same feelings. Sirius has always been protective over Remus, for a reason Remus has yet to work out, and Remus does not want to abuse that. He  _ will not  _ abuse that, no matter how much his stupid heart pressures him to.

  


“Is it a-” Sirius pauses, and remembers they were in a public place.

  


“He’s fine with the whole monthly issue,” Remus says, waving his hand around. “And the bisexual thing. Be a bit hypocritical of him, wouldn’t it? He’s just-”

  


“I”d say out of your league, but we both know it’s the other way around,” Lil interjects. “He doesn’t deserve you, Remus.”

  


“No, he doesn’t,” Sirius agrees, and Lily snorts, clearly unable to keep herself together even in a library. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

  


“It’s fine, Pads.” Just to reassure Sirius, and not himself at all, Remus risks leaning over his not-yet-dry notes and his inkpot to pat Sirius’ hand, and then fix a stray hair. Sirius smiles, and Remus feels himself copying.

  
  


  


-

  


  


“Moony,” James shakes his awake, his eyes wild and his hair mussed.

  


“Lily got over her stage fright?” Remus says, his throat hoarse. James shakes his head, clearly confused, and Remus pushes him off and curls away from him. “Then I don’t care. I have a test today, Prongs, and I’d really like to pass it.”

  


“You’ll pass it,” James says. “Of course you will. You’re Remus bloody Lupin. Now, do you want to shag Padfoot or not?”

  


“What?” Remus says. “What? What the fuck?”

  


“Pads asked me to consider what you said about your crush,” James starts, and Remus groans. “And there was no one! Not even that Hufflepuff boy who hit on you last year - he’s not  _ fluffy  _ enough. Then Padfoot said that you said that Sirius knows him, and about the werewolf thing, and the bisexual thing, and then I realised the only people that know about all of that are-”

  


“The Marauders,” Remus finishes.

  


“And  _ fluffy.  _ Prongs isn’t fluffy, and if someone ever describes Wormy’s rat as fluffy they deserve detention with Filch. Which left Padfoot. Do you want to shag him?”

  


“Yes,” Remus groans, and buries his face into the pillows. “Did you tell him this revelation?”

  


“Who do you take me for?” James asks. 

  


“Did you?”

  


“I stopped just before I said his name?” James says, meekly, and Remus groans again. “Moony, you know we love you, right? You didn’t need to hide this stuff from us.”

  


“It protected me from your horrible matchmaking,” Remus replies, and sits up. He’s awake now, no point in trying to sleep, and he needs to fix the Sirius situation now anyway. “I’m disowning you, Prongs, just for the record. Lily is my best friend now. Get out of my room.”

  


“It’s my room too!” James squawks.

  


“Moony!” Sirius skids into the room, eyes a similar crazy to James’. Now that Remus is awake, he can smell the coffee. “I figured it out!”

  


Actually, it was never too late to go back to sleep. Remus slams himself back down, covers his face with his pillow, and hums an old lullaby. Wasn’t there a spell for purposely putting oneself into a coma? Why did he never research that?

  


He hears James and Sirius discussing something, the sound all muffled, and then James slamming the door closed.

  


“Moony?”

  


Remus buried himself further down.

  


“It isn’t Prongs, is it?” Sirius asks, softly, and if Remus let himself imagine, sad and mildly jealous.

  


“No, Sirius,” Remus says, and pushes the pillow off. “It isn’t bloody James Potter.”

  


“And it’s not Wormtail?” Sirius says, with the same tone. Remus’ eyebrows crinkle. 

  


“No.”

  


“Then it’s me.” Sirius finishes.

  


“Yes,” Remus admits. He really should’ve learnt that coma spell. 

  


“Great. Can I snog you now, or do you want to brush your teeth?” Sirius asks. Remus rolls over to look him in the eye. He looks serious enough, jokes aside, and a little nervous, and his hair is unbrushed but he doesn’t smell like liquor, and Remus can’t help himself from leaning forward and pressing his lips sideways against Sirius’ cheek.

  


“Brush.” Remus says. “Both teeth and hair, please. And then we can snog all through breakfast.”

  


Sirius grins, and Remus copies. 

**Author's Note:**

> 24/12/2019 edit: fuck jk rowling. harry potter belongs to the lgbt community now


End file.
